"best" General Hospital In Chiangmai

[pb2003]

What can be considered as the best General Hospital in Chiangmai ?

[francois]

hi'

from past experience, Lanna hospital

but some others could be good as well, this all depends on the doctor you meet.

as well as the staff working in ... check this first.

Lanna and Mc Cormick hire some foreigners ... this might be a good point

cheers

francois

[KevinN]

I have a lot of friends that swear by Mc Cormack, 2 have been there for stroke and heart attack and seem very happy with the service there. I have been outpatient and it looks better than most hospitals in Thailand.

[john b good]

Ram 1 gets my vote.

And on McCormack no personal experience but a friend was a patient for a spell and I have visited a number of times.

and it looks better than most hospitals in Thailand. this is hardly a measure to base ones opinion. The majority of hospitals have people stacked up in the corridors and 10 people in a four bed room.

What with the custom (and I make no comment on the custom) of half the family bedded down at the hospital most are quite chaotic at times, to say the least.

[KevinN]

""What with the custom (and I make no comment on the custom) of half the family bedded down at the hospital most are quite chaotic at times, to say the least.""

And for the most part,that "custom" is because they do not have the nursing staff to care for the patient.

[Johpa]

I have a lot of friends that swear by Mc Cormack, 2 have been there for stroke and heart attack and seem very happy with the service there. I have been outpatient and it looks better than most hospitals in Thailand.

Clearly McCormack has had a major upgrade at some point as the last time I was there, before they built the newer places like Lanna, it was a group of older "colonial" style buildings where one waited for a few hours to see a doctor, often a Farang, with a large group of others who for the most part, were in far more serous need of medical attention.

[cutethaigirl]

Who's paying you or the insurance?

Insurance Ram will help you spend it faster.

You are...Klaimoor near Lotus on Hang Dong Road is fab....for us:-)

CT

[p1p]

""What with the custom (and I make no comment on the custom) of half the family bedded down at the hospital most are quite chaotic at times, to say the least.""

And for the most part,that "custom" is because they do not have the nursing staff to care for the patient.

I'm afraid that the custom bears no relation to the number, or competence of nursing staff. This is just another incidence of the cultural imperative to care for family members, sadly lacking in the West.

As regards the best hospital. Over the years I, and members of my family have been treated in Suan Dork, Ram 1 and 2, Lanna, MacCormick, Klaimoor, Rachavej, and Kasemraj, (now closed.)

In my experience, the best hospital is governed entirely by the treatment required and which particular specialist, best able to provide said treatment.

However, having said that, Ram 1 is always our first hospital of choice because it appears to have the most up-to-date equiopment etc. (The Medical guide books recommend Ram 1 as the only tertiary care hospital in Chiang Mai.)

My comments on the other hospitals:

Suan Dork. The big government hospital with accompanying handicaps. Many of the doctors here are the best, by far, in Chiang Mai. But you need a strong stomach!

Ram 2, smaller than Ram 1, and out of our way so we have only used it once.

Lanna. Reasonable secondary care hospital. Prices lower than Ram.

MacCormick, I'm afraid I find the place gloomy. Prices lower than Ram.

Klaimoor. Used it a few times. Found it expensive and tending to over-prescribe. Now will not go back again after bad experiences.

Rachavej. We used this hospital to provide mother and baby care for our youngest two children when they were born. It was very satisfactory and not expensive, but our doctor of choice no longer practices there, so we will not be back.

[Ajarn]

I'm afraid that the custom bears no relation to the number, or competence of nursing staff. This is just another incidence of the cultural imperative to care for family members, sadly lacking in the West.

They have some facilities for the families of patients in the US......... run by McDonalds!

I think P1P laid it out clearly, though not in a nutshell, perhaps.

I whine and moan about Ram 1, but it's still the place I would likely go for the technology and the services....beyond having waay-too-beautiful nurses and support staff. Having UBC is a big plus. Doctors there are another story. Be proactive at Ram. Watch the incidental fees for things you didn't receive...Doctors fees are 200 baht, mostly.

The best and sharpest care is Suan Dok. But, their triage is very strict, so lower priorities get set amongst the main zoo, Orderly, but a zoo, nontheless. No UBC, no real frills or views of any kind. Maybe one big advantage at Suan Dok is with the price of meds. When I used to use their outpatient services as a teacher at cmu, they charged everyone cost + 10% for all meds. .

I recently got some medicine from Ram1...

260 baht for 5 grams, refills the same,,,5 gram max (enough for one week, likely on a regime requiring this medication forever, in some cases)

At my local pharmacy, it was

190 baht for 40 grams of the exact same...

Buyer Beware, as always.

[lopburi3]

I'm afraid that the custom bears no relation to the number, or competence of nursing staff. This is just another incidence of the cultural imperative to care for family members, sadly lacking in the West.

Although true Kevin is also right that nurse service does not include much in the way of practical nursing functions here. And that is very apparent at even top hospitals. The family does the normal nursing for many patients and without this help the normal nursing staff would not be able to cope. Lives are saved by these family members as they can spot errors and take actions that a nurse would not dare question.

[sendbaht]

"I have a lot of friends that swear by Mc Cormack"

As you know KevinN that is where my daughter is going to school, so it can't be to bad.

She sent us photo's of her getting a award yesterday, she looked so cute in her nurse uniform. We are prond of her. One more year to go then she might be taking care of us both.

[KevinN]

I also go on the grounds of Mc Cormick when ever in CM,,

The AA meetings are held in one of the older compound buildings,,Number 11 to be exact.

Don't think I have ever seen your daughter,,but I do think all nurses in uniform are cute,,just love a lady in a uniform,cept a cop uniform.

[astral]

I'd vote for the Lanna.

Good standard over many years!!